 Very few people can pull off the fashion flair required to wear a wetsuit in public. Here I practice the proper 'dry land' stance 9/7/2004 | | | |
Up until 2004, I had been racing bicycles at the elite level for nearly a quarter
of a century. Across those years, I've garned my fair share of medals and championships
at the state, regional
and national level. I also competed in Team Race Across America for 4 years as
a member of the Pacificare Cycling
Team. In 2004 at the ripe old age of 39, after a successful 3-year stint with
the Fairway Subaru/Hincapie Sportswear
Cycling Team, I decided to 'retire' from bike racing. As much as I enjoyed the
competition,
bike racing at that level is highly demanding - traveling nearly every weekend
from March through
October.
Cycling
was - and still is - my first passion but I was looking for new
challenges (and a little less constant traveling and racing). That's
when I discovered the world of multi-sport. I don't like to think of
myself as a 'triathlete'; it seems limiting. I prefer the term
'multi-sport athlete' because I truly take advantage of all the sports
I do - competing in cycling races, running races, duathlons,
triathlons. It keeps my mind fresh and provides variety for me with the
ability to pick and choose from a much greater number of events.
throughout the year so I don't get stale. Since my change to multi-sport, I have
competed in at least one of each of the events I mentioned above each year. My
3
big goals for 2006 were Powerman Alabama - the Southeast
Regional Duathlon Championships; the Boston Marathon; and Ironman
Wisconsin.
My cycling background has been my best asset in multi-sport. Since I made the
switch from cycling, my bike splits are consistently at the top - all the way
from sprint-distance
events up to iron-distance events. The past year I've spent working on my running
and have taken it to new levels with 2 state Master's championships this year
(10k and 20k) and a Boston
Marathon time of 2:42:48.
With my cycling and running now at competitive levels, my attention turns to
swimming - a sore spot for me. It's my aim that with proper practice and training
I can bring my swimming
up to a similar level.
I am 42 years old and am married to a wonderful and supportive woman - Janis.
Together we enjoy hiking, camping, riding our tandem, gardening, home improvement
projects and chocolate.
I am a web programmer in Greenville, SC at Scansource, Inc. and live just outside
of Greenville
in Simpsonville.
'Pain is temporary...pride is forever'